Fleetwood Mac: Classic or Dud

The way she harmonized with Buckingham was uncanny. perfectly suited to one another.

Love this one, also uptempo, originally from Mystery to Me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuXmDW1FO7I

You can make a great lost Christine McVie album from her best stuff outside of the Buckingham/Nicks years:

1. Spare Me a Little of Your Love
2. Remember Me
3. Dissatisfied
4. Did You Ever Love Me
5. The Way I Feel
6. Show Me a Smile
7. I'd Rather Go Blind (a cover recorded by her previous band, Chicken Shack)
8. Why
9. Heroes Are Hard to Find
10. Come a Little Bit Closer

(and yes Believe Me too!)

Show Me a Smile and Spare Me a Little of Your Love are so awesome. The former is a trial run for the latter, more pastoral and mysterious, Zeppelin could have killed this song on LZIII. The latter is bigger and more pop, pointing toward the future. My favorite is whichever I am listening to at the time.

I almost asked if this means Fleetwood Mac is functionally done, but then I caught myself and remembered that they already toured once without her. I guess a better question is whether this prompts Nicks to bury the hatchet with Buckingham, again, and continue riding the money train. You know, once more, for old times sake.

Re:"Everywhere"--This ad was a big deal in the UK almost ten years ago...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfccMaskBWk

And Paramore has done it live:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3HsSjS6n-k

Incredible version of Why

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrFr4jB0quA

pic.twitter.com/shclwCGpuu

— Stevie Nicks (@StevieNicks) November 30, 2022

An early Cut Copy song supposedly sampled "Everywhere," but I thought this sneaky one from a few years back was as good a tribute a song could get without covering it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1LA2RQUx68

“Zap Zap”. Great track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1pNyM9bcm8

There’s also a song on in ghost colors that samples “over and over”

While we (I) are sort of off-track but still on track, I always thought this Beloved song was a clever tip of the hat to McVie Mac vibes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYyDoA4M9sY

I should add when Danny Kirwan passed away several years ago, "Spare Me a Little of Your Love" also came to mind. His guitar solo is BEAUTIFUL, and I think it shows more than anyone else, even John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, Kirwan would have flourished in the pop-era of Fleetwood Mac as much as the blues-rock era.

(obviously that wasn't going to happen since he didn't get along with the others and eventually had mental health issues, but had things been different...)

I bloody love that HAIM song that Stevie quotes.

Rest In Peace, beautiful lady.

Ah that Stevie note is heartbreaking

My favourite single Mac recording - the way she sings, and that heartbroken, beautiful final guitar solo, and the way it interacts with Christine's organ. Just the greatest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjEGeDf4p1M

That Stevie letter made me tear up a little.

RIP

Made me realize that when Stevie Nicks finally dies I will -- after the mockery has passed -- be totally devastated.

I just found out about this, RIP.

xpost same

There’s also a song on in ghost colors that samples “over and over”

wait which is this?

“strangers in the wind”

ooh yeah i hear it

I have just been watching YouTube videos of her and tearing up. This isn't my generation but is hitting me so hard.

The radio has been playing more Fleetwood Mac than usual today, even heard a couple of deep pre Buckingham/Nicks stuff. The saddest moment in the car came when they played You Make Loving fun, and the placeholder graphic they used was a portrait of the band from the Say You Will era, minus Christine. it was kind of eerie.

https://i.imgur.com/hsWrJFO.jpg

guys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGCV3m22o4o

When she got home I asked my wife what song she wanted to play in her memory, to my surprise the first thing she said was "Honey Hi."

My favourite single Mac recording - the way she sings, and that heartbroken, beautiful final guitar solo, and the way it interacts with Christine's organ. Just the greatest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjEGeDf4p1M

― his cartoon heart expands, then he relaxes by smoking crack (stevie), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 23:16 (yesterday) link

that was my gateway into Mac - I couldn't believe a band at height of their popularity would open an album with such a delicate number. RIP.

It struck me that every lyric of hers that I can think of is about interpersonal relationships, maybe with the exception of "Homeward Bound" on Bare Trees.

when i first got into FM the only pre buckingham-nicks era material i'd heard was the peter green blues rock stuff. i remember being shocked when i first heard "why" and learned that it was from two albums prior to lindsey and stevie joining. to me that song, more than any other from the early albums, shows what the band would become

rip <3

Wow, my Your Missed Hits list is some hot garbage. I think there's a reason these hits were missed.

xp Absolutely. I think Christine's songwriting was pretty much fully developed by the time they made Bare Trees (and even before then she had at least a couple of gems). The most audible difference is what Buckingham brought as a producer. "Everywhere" may be a great example of this - does anyone know how much input Christine had in the production and arrangement? It's her song, but a lot of that sounds like something Buckingham would do to a record. Regardless, it's been pointed out that if you break down the songwriting credits on their hit singles of the Buckingham-Nicks era, Christine has sole or co-writing credit on something like half of them, far more than anyone else. (Stevie would be in second, but with half as many credits.)

xp

ended up in the completely wrong thread, sorry folks

xpost I'm pretty sure, especially by then, that the music/production was largely directed by Buckingham, who no doubt made that a condition of his return. Plus he had his new Fairlight to play with.

Found this:

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/fleetwood-mac-everywhere/

Even when it came to Buckingham taking the reins on her song, McVie had faith in his ability. "It's just sort of a natural leadership. He spends all his time in the studio, and frankly, someone has to do it," she said. "It's not like we all sit around and say, 'Yes, Lindsey, no, Lindsey.' We have input. I could (veto) things he does to my songs, but he is very good at his craft."

Here's McVie's "Mystified" demo, on which Buck share songwriting credit. Sounds like it's mostly there before he got his hands dirty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo5kmOp9gsc

love this one, her in a rocker mode, great chorus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErBLC4GxgRs

Bare Trees is the best album of the Hidden Years imo

i can't call it between bare trees and future games, both excellent

I'd say Mystery to Me, Bob Welch really stepped up for that one album. Danny Kirwan's songwriting contributions in that era are probably the most consistent.

if you can get past the horrible cover, heroes are hard to find has some great tunes

A big drop-off considering that Mystery to Me had the greatest cover in rock history!

xxp Kirwan's guitar was also a great asset. I think that was a significant loss until Buckingham came aboard.

Christine had a pair of excellent tunes, probably the best ones too, on Heroes are Hard to Find.

xp lol yeah

i do like that in the midst of fleetwood mac's catalog there's a very serious song about the Bermuda Triangle.

I think of that as a photocopy of "Hypnotized" - Welch thinking, "my Castañeda song got lots of FM airplay, we need more songs that could double as episodes of In Search Of..."

Christine drew the sleeve to Kiln House, unless Wikipedia is lying to me

wow! i did not know that

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0902/5612/products/fleetwood_mac_kiln_house_vinyl_inside_gatefold_grande.jpg?v=1629610717

Here's a pic of the gatefold: Cover design - Christine McVie